Irish International Cap winners Roll of Honour CELTIC INTERNATIONAL GAMES 1976 – 2018 The annual Celtic Games contested now by Under 16 and Under 18 teams from Ireland, Scotland and Wales have undergone significant changes from the first event held in Aberdeen on the 14th August 1976. The first Junior International between the North of Ireland and Scotland took place in 1969 at Ormeau Park in Belfast and this link continued for several years. In 1975 a team from the North of Ireland travelled the long coach journey to Haverford West in South West Wales. Following this match discussions took place between Maeve Kyle and Barbara Elgie of Wales and with the support of Scotland a proposal was made to the British Athletics Board (BAAB) to hold a Celtic Match the following year. The BAAB agreed and the North of Ireland WAAA were asked to invite Bord Lúthchleas Ógánach na hÉireann to take part. Scotland agreed to host the first event with subsequent meetings to follow a four year cycle of Scotland, Wales, Ireland and the North of Ireland. The first meeting in Ireland taking place at the UCD Grounds at Belfield on August 6th 1978. For the first 16 years the competition comprised of girls only teams in the Under 13, Under 15 and Under 17 age groups. The first winner in Aberdeen was Jacqueline Gibbons in the 60 metres Hurdles representing the North of reland. Jackie subsequently became a teacher in Thornhill College in Derry a school which produced many athletics champions. That same day saw the international debut of many future outstanding athletes some of whom went on to compete at the highest level of the Commonwealth and Olympic Games. For the North of Ireland Janet Boyle and Sharon McPeake both medaled at the Commonwealth Games while Judith Rodgers was a Commonwealth Games 100m Hurdles finalist and Angela McCullagh went to the World Cross Country Championships. BLOE featured the likes of Caroline O’Shea, Marita Walton and Patricia Amond. A young Linsey McDonald finished last for Scotland in the U13 100 metres and would go on to represent Great Britain in the Moscow Olympics four years later. For Wales Carmen Smart would progress to represent the Principality at three Commonwealth Games while a certain Kirsty McDermott ran 2:33 for 800 metres to win the Under the Under 15 event and as Kirsty Wade won the Commonwealth title in Edinburgh in 1986 having a year earlier run 1:57.42 at the Mary Peters Track in Belfast, still the second fastest ever by a British athlete. The Games have continued to act as a first rung on the ladder for a host of future Senior International athletes from all Nations including the great Sonia O’Sullivan. The format of the Games changed in 1992 with the Under 13 Girls events being dropped and being replaced by Under 15 and Under 17 Boys. This was followed in 2006 by a change in Age Groups to Under 16 and Under 18 with the younger age group having a limited number of events. In 2012 the most recent change took place with the North of Ireland, which through Maeve Kyle had inaugurated the Games, no longer taking part as a team but with their athletes eligible to represent Athletics Ireland. John T Glover Note: Names in Bold were event winners 1976 Venue Aberdeen, Scotland Date Saturday, August 14, 1976 Event Athlete Team Club Age Group 1976 100m Siobhan McFadden N. Ire Sparta U13 Girls 1976 200m Judith Rodgers N. Ire Tailte U13 Girls 1976 800m Elizabeth McCaul N. Ire Sparta U13 Girls 1976 Hurdles Jacqueline Gibbons N. Ire Sparta U13 Girls 1976 HJ Melanie Reid N. Ire Belfast Ladies U13 Girls 1976 LJ Jacqueline Gibbons N. Ire Sparta U13 Girls 1976 Shot D McDonald N. Ire U13 Girls 1976 4 x 100 Relay Siobhan McFadden N. Ire Sparta U13 Girls 1976 4 x 100 Relay Jacqueline Gibbons N. Ire Sparta U13 Girls 1976 4 x 100 Relay Elizabeth McCaul N. Ire Sparta U13 Girls 1976 4 x 100 Relay Melanie Reid N. Ire Belfast Ladies U13 Girls 1976 100m Eithne McCarthy Ire Corbally U13 Girls 1976 200m Geraldine Keogh Ire Kilmore Dublin U13 Girls 1976 800m Claire Higgins Ire Watergrasshill U13 Girls 1976 Hurdles Rosemary Walsh Ire De La Salle Waterford U13 Girls 1976 HJ Lorna Moroney Ire Nenagh Olympic U13 Girls 1976 LJ Helen Delaney Ire Clonmel U13 Girls 1976 Shot Mary Kavanagh Ire Good Counsel U13 Girls 1976 4 x 100 Relay Eithne McCarthy Ire Corbally U13 Girls 1976 4 x 100 Relay Geraldine Keogh Ire Kilmore Dublin U13 Girls 1986 4 x 100 Relay Rosemary Walsh Ire De La Salle Waterford U13 Girls 1976 4 x 100 Relay Ire U13 Girls 1976 100m Katriona Callow N. Ire Belfast Ladies U15 Girls 1976 200m J McWIlliams N. Ire U15 Girls 1976 800m Shireen Chambers N. Ire Tailte U15 Girls 1976 1500m Susie Tweedie N. Ire Newtownabbey U15 Girls 1976 Hurdles Audrey McMahon N. Ire Belfast Ladies U15 Girls 1976 HJ Caroline McKinney N. Ire Belfast Ladies U15 Girls 1976 LJ Audrey McMahon N. Ire Belfast Ladies U15 Girls 1976 Shot Judy McDowell N. Ire Belfast Ladies U15 Girls 1976 Javelin Audrey McMahon N. Ire Belfast Ladies U15 Girls 1976 4 x 100 Relay Northern Ireland N. Ire U15 Girls 1976 100m Patricia Amond Ire St Laurence O'Toole U15 Girls 1976 200m Patricia Amond Ire St Laurence O'Toole U15 Girls 1976 800m Ann Byrne Ire St Benedicts Arklow U15 Girls 1976 1500m Brid Shanahan Ire Grotto U15 Girls 1976 Hurdles Mary Cross Ire Corbally U15 Girls 1976 HJ Mary Kirwan Ire Corbally U15 Girls 1976 LJ Mary Condon Ire St Laurence O'Toole U15 Girls 1976 Shot Anne Faulkner Ire Star of the Sea U15 Girls 1976 Javelin Marina Corcoran Ire Galway City Harriers U15 Girls 1976 4 x 100 Relay Patricia Amond Ire St Laurence O'Toole U15 Girls 1976 4 x 100 Relay Ann Byrne Ire St Benedicts Arklow U15 Girls 1976 4 x 100 Relay Ire U15 Girls 1976 100m Sharon Gordon N. Ire Tailte U17 Girls 1976 200m Sharon Gordon N. Ire Tailte U17 Girls 1976 400m Michelle Chambers N. Ire Tailte U17 Girls 1976 800m Sandra Cassells N. Ire Newtownabbey U17 Girls Event Athlete Team Club Age Group 1976 1500m Angela McCullough N. Ire Tailte U17 Girls 1976 Hurdles Georgina Miller N. Ire Belfast Ladies U17 Girls 1976 HJ Joanna Porter N. Ire Tailte U17 Girls 1976 LJ Alison Burns N. Ire Tailte U17 Girls 1976 Shot Heather Gibson N. Ire Ballymena U17 Girls 1976 Discus Rhonda Hanvey N. Ire Newtownabbey U17 Girls 1976 Javelin Heather Gibson N. Ire Ballymena U17 Girls 1976 4 x 100 Relay Northern Ireland N. Ire U17 Girls 1976 100m Michelle Walsh Ire Thomas McDonagh U17 Girls 1976 200m Bernadette Kavanagh Ire Ballyfermot U17 Girls 1976 400m Caroline O'Shea Ire Crusaders U17 Girls 1976 800m Mary McKenna Ire Truagh U17 Girls 1976 1500m Mary Dempsey Ire Youghal U17 Girls 1976 Hurdles Nora O'Grady Ire Nenagh Olympic U17 Girls 1976 HJ Audrey Long Ire Ballyfermot U17 Girls 1976 LJ Breda Quilty Ire St Johns Park Waterford U17 Girls 1976 Shot Marita Walton Ire Kilkenny City Harriers U17 Girls 1976 Discus Marita Walton Ire Kilkenny City Harriers U17 Girls 1976 Javelin Patricia Walsh Ire De La Salle Waterford U17 Girls 1976 4 x 100 Relay Michelle Walsh Ire Thomas McDonagh U17 Girls 1976 4 x 100 Relay Bernadette Kavanagh Ire Ballyfermot U17 Girls 1976 4 x 100 Relay Caroline O'Shea Ire Crusaders U17 Girls 1976 4 x 100 Relay Marita Walton Ire Kilkenny City Harriers U17 Girls 1977 Venue Cwmbran, Wales Date Saturday, August 6, 1977 Event Athlete Team Club Age Group 1977 100m Fiona McNally Ulster Belfast Olympic U13 Girls 1977 200m Michelle Simpson Ulster Shorts U13 Girls 1977 800m Debbie McClung Ulster Ballymena U13 Girls 1977 HJ Deborah Reid Ulster Belfast Ladies U13 Girls 1977 LJ Diane McConnell Ulster Fivemiletown U13 Girls 1977 Discus Sharon Reid Ulster Finn Valley U13 Girls 1977 Javelin Jacqueline Robinson Ulster Ballymena U13 Girls 1977 4 x 100 Relay Ulster Ulster U13 Girls 1977 100m Noelle Morrissey BLOE Nenagh Olympic U13 Girls 1977 200m Geraldine Finn BLOE St Laurence O'Toole U13 Girls 1977 800m Sheila Malone BLOE Grotto U13 Girls 1977 HJ Lorna Moroney BLOE Nenagh Olympic U13 Girls 1977 LJ Geraldine Finn BLOE St Laurence O'Toole U13 Girls 1977 Discus Siobhan Furlong BLOE St Johns Park Waterford U13 Girls 1977 Javelin Siobhan Furlong BLOE St Johns Park Waterford U13 Girls 1977 4 x 100 Relay Noelle Morrissey BLOE Nenagh Olympic U13 Girls 1977 4 x 100 Relay Geraldine Finn BLOE St Laurence O'Toole U13 Girls 1977 4 x 100 Relay Sheila Malone BLOE Grotto U13 Girls 1977 4 x 100 Relay Lorna Moroney BLOE Nenagh Olympic U13 Girls 1977 100m Helen Gourley Ulster Silverwood U15 Girls 1977 200m Helen Gourley Ulster Silverwood U15 Girls 1977 800m Joyce Mehaffey Ulster Strabane U15 Girls 1977 1500m Averil McClung Ulster Ballymena U15 Girls 1977 75m Hurdles Helen Gourley Ulster Silverwood U15 Girls Event Athlete Team Club Age Group 1977 HJ Tanya Henderson Ulster Victoria College U15 Girls 1977 LJ Jacqueline Gibbons Ulster Sparta U15 Girls 1977 Shot Kathleen Merritt Ulster Finn Valley U15 Girls 1977 Discus Alison McGaughey Ulster Fivemiletown U15 Girls 1977 Javelin Linda Dickson Ulster Fivemiletown U15 Girls 1977 4 x 100 Relay Catherine Gormley Ulster Cavan U15 Girls 1977 4 x 100 Relay Ulster U15 Girls 1977 100m Barbara McDonald BLOE Crusaders U15 Girls 1977 200m Pauline Mullins BLOE Southend on Sea U15 Girls 1977 800m Marie Hennessy BLOE St Johns Park Waterford U15 Girls 1977 1500m Carol Meagan BLOE Dundrum Family Recreation Centre U15 Girls 1977 75m Hurdles Gillian Maher BLOE Fethard U15 Girls 1977 HJ Brigid Corrigan BLOE Celtic U15 Girls 1977 LJ Mary Coogan BLOE St Laurence O'Toole U15 Girls 1977 Shot Ann Prendergast BLOE De La Salle Waterford U15 Girls 1977 Discus Ann Prendergast BLOE De La Salle Waterford U15 Girls 1977 Javelin Marina